How to Stay Inspired on Your Handmade Journey
Let’s be honest, remaining inspired can be a struggle sometimes. In life, there’s so much we have to worry about and sometimes it can be hard to find the desire to keep up with your crafting. Sometimes you’ll run out of ideas or you just don’t feel like you’re making the kind of progress that you want. The whole thing can be really defeating. I’ve faced all sorts of issues on this journey and I have a few tips that help when times get rough and I hope they can be helpful.
One of the best advice I can give is keeping any kind of journal so that you can write down your ideas. It doesn’t even have to be specifically about crochet, it can be your thoughts, drawings, or notes about anything that inspires you. I’ve learned that sometimes things that aren’t directly related to crochet still help me out when I’m in need of some extra inspiration. It’s frustrating feeling like I want to crochet, but I’m not sure what to do next. That’s when I refer to my journal and see what new ideas I can come up with.
Something else that can distract anyone from their own journey is comparing themselves to someone else’s. We can all fall victim to comparisons, but remember, this isn’t a competition and everyone works and grows at different rates. Instead of feeling like you should be where someone else is, be proud that you are where you are. It’s more beneficial to look at other people’s work and be inspired than using it to feel like you’re good enough. Nothing saps energy like feeling like you’re not progressing enough. There’s only one you and you should embrace that.
When in doubt, be original. If I don’t feel inspired by one of my projects, I know that something’s wrong. Sometimes, the problem is that I don’t feel like making what I’m actually making, and that means that I need to revisit my motivation. I need to feel connected to what I’m making, and if I’m not feeling it, then I need to reapproach it in a new way. I’ll switch up the color or change the design to something that feels more fresh to ensure that I’m not crocheting something for the sake of crocheting. Once you do this enough, you’ll be able to tell if you’re into a project ahead of time and you won’t have to do excess work.
In that same line of thinking, be sure to challenge yourself. Playing it safe all the time will get boring eventually, so always having a goal in mind prevents you from being stagnant. I enjoy the art of perfecting a certain garment or familiarizing myself with a pattern, but when I’ve reached the point where I can go no further with it, I move on and try something else. By always keeping myself preoccupied with a new challenge, I’m using my brain in different ways and problem-solving. An active mind is a sharp mind.
When I feel stuck, I’ll sometimes revisit past patterns and see what else I can come up with. By critiquing earlier designs, I can see how far I’ve come and also test out some new skills. For example, I made a hat using a double crochet stitch, I might try it again using a crab stitch and see what a difference that makes. Sometimes, the best way forward is by going backward.